2.2 how did buhrs changes as centres of law and economy under alfred's rule?

Question 1

What does debased mean?

Answer 1

When a coin loses value because less metal is in it.

Question 2

What is the burghal hidage?

Answer 2

A list of towns, first major record of an admiinistration system in England.

Question 3

How many versions are there of the original source of the burghal hidage?

Answer 3

Version A: dates to the period of Edward the Elder
Version B: some indication to it being produced during Alfred’s reign

Question 4

How is the burghal hidage unreliable?

Answer 4

The library that it was stored in caught on fire> we only have half of both versions> incomplete.

Question 5

What does the burghal hidage contain?

Answer 5

-Lists 33 buhrs with the number of hides
-The buhrs are listed in a clockwise fashion
-Winchester was one of the largest buhrs (2400 hides)

Question 6

2 key buhrs that were listed in the burghal hidage?

Answer 6

-Lewes:
Version A= 12 hides
Version B= 1,300 hides
-Bath:
Version A= 1,000 hides
Version B= 2,200

Question 7

What does economic growth lead to in the number of hides?

Answer 7

More people.

Question 8

How did Alfred change buhrs and the economy:
1) What are buhrs designed for?
2) How was Alfred’s changes a framework for early urbanisation?
3) What did changes in farming lead to?
4) How did he make London the richest city?
5) What happened in the mid 870s?
6) What guaranteed a stable economy?
7) How much liquid assests did Alfred have?
8) What is mutilation punishment?

Answer 8

1) For economic growth.
2) Shift of trade will come to cities, not the countryside, to avoid Vikings stealing.
3) Maximises surplus farming>Alfred became unpopular.
4) Built 20 wharves in London, prioritised trade>goods could come quicker, increased tax.
5) Reboots his coinage(changing currency)>coins are purer>worth more. Anglo-Saxon coinage was debased becoming a “lunette penny”>hyper-inflation.
6) All coins needed to have a “moneyer” and “mint”.
7) £9.6 million, only 5% of Alfred’s wealth. If his ealdormen are also wealthy>happy>less problems.
8) Causing pain but not killing e.g. removing an arm or hand.

Question 9

Overall, how has Alfred been successful in growing his economy? (4)

Answer 9

-Created alliances
-Took advantage of buhrs
-7 mints by the end of his reign
-Weight of coins increasing

Question 10

Buhrs were primarily designed for defence purposes, what did many buhrs soon become?

Answer 10

Market towns.

Question 11

Under whose supervision did market towns emerge as places where a variety of goods were produced?

Answer 11

Reeves.

Question 12

What would be brought in from localities and sold?
Which law code was this supported by?

Answer 12

Surplus food.
Edward the Elder’s.

Question 13

What did Edward’s law code state?

Answer 13

Nobody was supposed to buy or sell anything if it’s not in a market town.

Question 14

What did Edward the Elder have that stamped on the back of his coinage?
What does this emphasise?

Answer 14

A buhr gate.
Emphasises the value of buhrs.

Question 15

What can be identified as having been minted and circulated during any historical period?

Answer 15

The volume of coins.

Question 16

What were buhrs and coins partly produced as a symbol of?

Answer 16

Royal power.

Question 17

How many pennies were made available during Alfred’s reign?
How many of these still exist?

Answer 17

Tens of millions.
A thousand.

Question 18

*How many royal mints were there when Alfred became king?
Where were they?
How many were there by the end of his reign?

Answer 18

2.
Canterbury and London.
9.

Question 19

What were Alfred’s new mints mostly made from?
How heavy were they?

Answer 19

90% of pure silver.
1.3-1.56 grams.

Question 20

What would a purer, less debased coin be deemed to be more?

Answer 20

More valuable.

Question 21

What did the supply of money falling lead to?

Answer 21

Fall in the prices of goods.

Question 22

When was the silver coin minted?

Answer 22

875-885.

Question 23

What 2 things did Alfred believe there was a connection between?

Answer 23

Wealth creation and successful administration.

Question 24

*How much wealth did Alfred distribute in his will? (in pounds and silver pennies)

Answer 24

£2,000
486,000 silver pennies

Question 25

What 3 key things make up Alfred’s wealth?

Answer 25

-Private estates
-Legal dues
-War

Question 26

*What charter organised the buhr of Worcester?

Answer 26

Charter of Worcester, 889-99.

Question 27

What united Mercia and Wessex?
What did this give them?

Answer 27

Marriage of Aethelflaed
Financial privileges

Question 28

What is an oath?

Answer 28

An unbreakable promise

Question 29

What does ‘Alfred’s law code, sections 1-1.2’ discuss the issues of? (2)

Answer 29

Treason and violence

Question 30

Why is the sections of ‘Alfred’s law code, sections 1-1.2’ significant?

Answer 30

One of the first laws that appear>oath swearing is important.

Question 31

In ‘Alfred’s law code, sections 1-1.2’, analyse “what is most necessary”.

Answer 31

Societal obligation=’norm’, it is necessary.

Question 32

In ‘Alfred’s law code, sections 1-1.2’, analyse “treachery to a lord or to any unlawful aid”.

Answer 32

If keeping an oath leads to treason (betraying country), it’s okay to break it.
Scale of issue he has with ealdormen.

Question 33

In ‘Alfred’s law code, sections 1-1.2’, analyse “is right for him to carry out and leaves it unfulfilled”.

Answer 33

Unless treason, breaking oaths in unacceptable, even murder!

Question 34

In ‘Alfred’s law code, sections 1-1.2’, analyse “forty days in prison at the king’s estate”.

Answer 34

If you’re not being hung or fined, there will be a special punishment (likely mutilation).
“Forty days”-religious reference:
-Jesus spent 40 days in the desert
-Lent is 40 days
Overall, new punishment.

Question 35

What is kinsmen?

Answer 35

Family.

Question 36

Was Alfred’s law code original? Why?
What did this show the public?

Answer 36

No -based it of the previous Saxon rulers:
King Offa and King Ine.
This showed the public what the King stood for in terms of ideology and his approach to politics.

Question 37

Alfred’s law code was an indicator of how…?

Answer 37

Alfred intended to exercise his authority.

Question 38

What is Alfred’s law code evidence of? E.g?..

Answer 38

What mattered most to Alfred when it came to governing his kingdom.
E.g. the emphasis placed on keeping oaths of loyalty and associated punishments for breaking an oath.

Question 39

What emphasises the importance of Christian teachings in Alfred’s law codes?

Answer 39

-Law code begins with tracing of its roots to Mosaic law
-Acknowledges the changes made to it by the Church

Question 40

What was Alfred’s law code a part of?
Why is this a problematic interpretation of the reasoning behind the codes?

Answer 40

A long chain of Christian-based law making that was designed to protect the ‘new chosen people’.
It’s not clear as to who would constitute such a ‘new chosen people’.

Question 41

Overall, what are the 3 motives behind Alfred’s law codes?

Answer 41

-Not original
-Evidence to what mattered most
-Tracing to it’s roots

Question 42

How does Alfred’s law code start?
It then proceeds to..?
Then finally..?

Answer 42

With a narrative about it’s foundations and links to Mosaic law.
Then gives an outlined history of law making.
Moves on to detail Alfred’s personal law code.

Question 43

What was Alfred evidently well versed in? Especially?
Much of what he specified was based on the 3 core principles taken from this law, what are they?

Answer 43

Old Anglo-Saxon law, especially that of Ine and Offa.
-Criminals would either be allowed to live or killed.
-Guilt would be followed by appropriate punishments, which Alfred paid much attention to.
-Trials would be enacted where guilt was not obvious, involving: oath helping and judgement by ‘ordeal’.
‘trial by ordeal’=suspect facing a challenge to be deemed innocent e.g. trial by fire. The accused would have to carry a red hot iron bar>severely burnt.
If wounds didn’t heal=guilty.
Based on what God would have willed.

Question 44

What was the impact of Alfred’s law code? (3)

Answer 44

-Managed to rule over the West Saxons with very little internal opposition.
-Difficult to say for certain whether the West Saxons became law abiding.
-His fairness seemed to earn him respect.